William D. Metz Papers

University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title:	William D. Metz Papers
Date range:	1946-1982
Creator:	Metz, William D.
Extent:	20.5 linear feet, 41 box(es)
Abstract:	The William D. Metz papers relate primarily to his tenure as Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island from 1946 to 1982. The collection is comprised of two series; Subject Files and Correspondence. The Subject Files contain a wide range of materials pertaining to committees, organizations, fraternities, and departments of the University that Metz was involved with. The Correspondence series (1952-1981) contains letters and correspondence Metz received from or sent to various individuals during his tenure. Both series are arranged alphabetically.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 53

Scope & content

The William D. Metz papers relate primarily to his tenure as Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island from 1946 to 1982. The collection is comprised of two series; Subject Files and Correspondence. The Subject Files contain a wide range of materials relating to committees, organizations, fraternities, and academic departments of the University that Metz was involved with. These include files pertaining to the American Association of University Professors, the History Department, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate Library School, and the Faculty Senate. Additional committees and organizations include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Curriculum Committee, the Library Committee, the Rhode Island Civil War Commission, and a number of student fraternities.

There are numerous other subjects also represented within the series, such as the Churchill History Prize, the Historic Preservation Planning Committee, and the URI student protests of the late 1960's, which reflect his varied interests. The Correspondence series (1952-1982) contains letters and related materials Metz received from, or sent to, various individuals during his tenure at the University of Rhode Island. Most of the letters consist of correspondence with faculty members of the University of Rhode Island, requests for letters of recommendation by former colleagues and students, resumes and biographical sketches of individuals, and correspondence with faculty members of other institutions. Both series are arranged alphabetically.

Arrangement

The William D. Metz papers are arranged in two series.

• 1. Subject Files
• 2. Correspondence

Biographical note

William D. Metz was born in
Buffalo, New York on June 13, 1914 and was raised in the village of
Perry, New York, about 50 miles east of Buffalo. Metz graduated from Bates College
,
Lewiston, Maine, in 1937 and subsequently received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin
in 1945. The following year, He accepted a position in the history department of the University of Rhode Island. Metz consequently spent the rest of his academic career with the history department until his retirement in 1982 as Professor Emeritus of History.

In the forty-five years that William D. Metz was associated with the University of Rhode Island, he served the University of Rhode Island academic community and the citizens of the State of Rhode Island in numerous ways.

During his tenure with the University of Rhode Island, he was active in publishing numerous articles on Rhode Island history, served as editor of Phi Alpha Theta
's (Honor Society of History) journal, The Historian
, and was an abstracter for Historical Abstracts
. He also served on many university committees, such as the Library Committee
, Committee on History of URI
, and the Arts and Sciences Committee
. Additionally, Metz chaired the Nominating Committee
and the Committee on Status of ROTC
. He served on the Watson House Committee
, the Special Senate Committee on Controversial Visitors
, and was the Chairman of the History Department
from 1962-to-1968.

From 1966-to-1967, Metz was a visiting Fulbright lecturer in American History at Makerere University College
,
Kampala, Uganda. He served as president of Phi Alpha Theta and was involved, at one time or another, with the fraternities of Phi Beta Kappa
, Phi Kappa Phi
, and Phi Sigma Alpha
.

The activities of Professor Metz extended beyond the University as well. He served as president of the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society
and the Cocumscussoc Association
, and gave numerous talks on East Africa (because of his sabbatical leave spent there) and on Rhode Island history throughout his career. In the 1960s, he was a member of the Rhode Island Civil War Centennial Commission
in which he conducted programs for marking sites where Abraham Lincoln spoke in Rhode Island in 1860. In 1977, he was elected chairman of the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities
.

He was the first chair of the South Kingston Historic District Commission
, chair of the South Kingston Bicentennial Commission
, and was a founding member of the RI Historical Preservation Commission
. Metz also acted as the archivist for the historic Kingston Congregational Church, which he was a member of.

After his retirement from the University of Rhode Island in 1982, Metz was instrumental in establishing the South County Museum in
Narragansett, RI. In 1997, the State of Rhode Island honored William D. Metz for his lifelong community service by conferring the state's highest historic preservation award, the Antoinette F. Downing Volunteer Service Award, upon him at a statewide planning conference entitled "Preserving Place-Growing Smart," that was held at URI.

William D. Metz passed away on February 11, 2013 at 98 years old. He was predeceased by his wife, Clarice, but is survived by his three children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Open for research.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	William D. Metz Collection, Mss. Gr. 53, University of Rhode Island Library, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The collection was donated to the URI Special Collections Unit by William D. Metz in 1984, 1987, and 1991.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Russell M. Franks.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Russell M. Franks, updated by Hailie Posey in 2009 2009 July 29, updated by Erin C. Mullen on 2013 April 09, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 April 13
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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Inventory